Newswise — ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Medical Group Association’s (AMGA) Measure Up/Pressure Down™ national hypertension campaign received the 2013 Heart Healthy Stroke Free Award from the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, announced today at the National Forum’s annual meeting in Washington, DC.
The Heart Healthy Stroke Free Award is presented annually to an organization whose work embodies the recommendations made in A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke, a public health strategy and framework to guide health practitioners and policymakers’ actions in two of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.
"Through its national Measure Up/Pressure Down™ campaign, AMGA and its members have built a local-to-national model for action that is making a real difference in blood pressure control, public health and, most importantly, people's lives,” says John M. Clymer, Executive Director of the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention. “Reducing the burden of heart disease and stroke in the United States is a national priority and Measure Up/Pressure Down™ is a model for the type of collaboration that will help achieve our vision of a heart-healthy and stroke free future.”
Measure Up/Pressure Down™ is a three-year national campaign to improve hypertension (high blood pressure) prevention, detection, and control, spearheaded by the American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF), the AMGA’s nonprofit education and research arm. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to heart attacks, chronic heart failure, stroke, and other serious health issues.
As part of its efforts, Measure Up/Pressure Down™ mobilizes medical groups and health systems to achieve the goal of having 80 percent of their patients with high blood pressure under control by 2016. The central mission of the campaign is to encourage medical groups and organized systems of care to adopt one or more evidence-based care processes that lead to measurable improvements in high blood pressure outcomes. More than 140 AMGA medical groups and health systems delivering care to more than 42 million patients have joined Measure Up/Pressure Down™.
“We are honored to be recognized by the National Forum with this prestigious award for our role in preventing heart disease and stroke through hypertension control,” says Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMGA. “Both AMGA and AMGF are proud of the accomplishments of Measure Up/Pressure Down™ since launching in November 2012, and we look forward to ongoing success at improving hypertension control rates across the country in collaboration with our medical groups, partners, and sponsors.”
The campaign also brings together national partners and sponsor organizations to work collectively to provide patients and communities information and tools that facilitate lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and other keys to successful blood pressure control.
Partners and supporting organizations of the campaign include the American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, American Society of Hypertension, American Stroke Association, Association of Black Cardiologists, Institute for Health and Productivity Management, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts® initiative, and WomenHeart. The campaign also has five national sponsors that are committed to helping resolve this public health challenge: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., Aetna, Humedica, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and Epic. For more information about the campaign, visit www.MeasureUpPressureDown.com.
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About the Measure Up/Pressure Down™ CampaignThe American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF), the nonprofit arm of the American Medical Group Association, launched Measure Up/Pressure Down™-a three-year national campaign to improve care and reduce the burden of high blood pressure on November 29, 2012. Measure Up/Pressure Down™ includes nearly 150 medical groups, health systems and national partners such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and Geisinger Health System. The goal of the three-year campaign is to have 80 percent of high blood pressure patients in control of their condition by 2016.
About the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke PreventionThe National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention leads collaborative policy efforts and builds the collective voice for a heart healthy and stroke-free society. Members include more than 70 US and international organizations representing public, private, health care, advocacy, academic, policy, and community sectors. www.nationalforum.org
About AMGFThe American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the American Medical Group Association and it supports and disseminates research on better ways to deliver health care that is scientifically sound and value-based. AMGF also develops and supports educational programs to enable all stakeholders-providers, payers, policymakers and patients to translate the evidence of what works best into everyday practice. www.amga.org/foundation
About AMGAThe American Medical Group Association represents some of the nation's largest, most prestigious medical practices, independent practice associations, accountable care organizations, and integrated healthcare delivery systems. AMGA's mission is to support its members in enhancing population health and care for patients through integrated systems of care. More than 130,000 physicians practice in AMGA member organizations, providing healthcare services for 120 million patients (approximately one in three Americans). Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for these organizations, providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs, publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org
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